"By the will of the Lady of the Lake, beneficent deity of all Bretonnia, by lance and by sword, are the lands of the king kept safe from Greenskins and the mutant Beastmen of the darkling forests, from malicious Daemons and the walking dead..."
- —A description of the Goddess of Bretonnia[3]
The Lady of the Lake, chief goddess of Bretonnia
The Lady of the Lake, also known as the Lady du Lac in Bretonnian, the "Divine Damsel" or simply the "Lady," is the regional and chief goddess of Bretonnia, revered throughout its lands but barely known beyond. She is the goddess of purity, nobility, and courage in the face of danger. She is the ideal Bretonnian noble lady, everything a knight should love and strive to serve.[1]
During the End Times, it was revealed that the Lady of the Lake was simply the Human face of the Elven goddess of the moon, dreams and fortune Lileath, who had taken on the identity of the Lady of the Lake so that she might find mortal worshippers among Men.[1]
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Goddess of Bretonnia[]
"The Lady, though we owe her all, is ever fickle. 'Tis only to Bretonnians that she does appear, and yet to Bretonnians she will also withhold her grace, should they ever err or stumble on the path. Such is her unfaltering way."
- —Louen Leoncoeur, King of Bretonnia, Grail Knight, describing the Lady of the Lake[5]
Origins[]
Bretonnian knights praying before a statue of the Lady of the Lake.
Nine centuries after the reign of Sigmar and the formation of the Empire, the Lady of the Lake chose the tribal forefathers of what would become the Kingdom of Bretonnia, the Bretonni, to serve a greater purpose. They alone amongst Humanity were deemed worthy to serve her cause. She drew them up from a tribe of primitive horsemen, and gave them nobility and honour rivalled only by that of the High Elves.[1]
The most prominent difference between the Cult of the Lady and the other religious orders of the Old World is that the Lady has no priests or initiates. Instead, she is served by the Grail Knights -- the flower of Bretonnian chivalry -- and the Grail Damsels, women taken from their families as children and raised by the Fay Enchantress to serve the Lady with mysterious, magical powers.[2]
Concept art of a statue of the Lady of the Lake holding the Holy Grail for Total War: Warhammer.
Unlike virtually all other gods of the Old World, the Lady is encountered by her mortal worshippers in this world. All Grail Knights meet her at the climax of their quest for the Holy Grail, and the Grail Damsels are also said to be initiated by the Lady herself, though they speak very little of it. As a result, when the Lady is portrayed, she is portrayed consistently: a young woman of great and somewhat unworldly beauty, clothed in white, with a narrow golden fillet holding a white veil on her head. In one hand, she holds the Grail.[2]
In the minds of many knights, the Lady of the Lake is Bretonnia, in a mystical sense. She is concerned with protecting Bretonnia, working through its knights to do so. Their courage and martial skill protect the land from external foes, whilst their nobility and chivalry ensure that the land enjoys internal peace and justice. She seems not to concern herself directly with peasants in any way, though many seek to share in her divine blessing by serving a Grail Knight.[2]
End Times[]
"Asuryan would never have countenanced the creation of a new race. Not after what was provoked by the crafting of the Elves. I chose your forefathers to serve a greater purpose. I drew them up out of the muck, and gave them nobility and honour second only to that of the Elves. Without the codes and laws that I gave you, your ancestors would have wiped each other out, or else been trampled into the muck by Orcs or worse things."
A shrine dedicated to Lileath, the Elven goddess of the moon, dreams and fortune, who was the true identity of the Lady of the Lake.
During the End Times, Lileath, the Elven goddess of the moon, dreams and fortune, tasked the Wood Elf Glade Lord Araloth to rescue Shallya, the goddess of mercy and compassion, from the Realm of Chaos, so she, Lileath and Ulric, the god of war, winter and wolves, could save Taal, the god of nature and beasts, from a divine disease he had contracted from Nurgle.[1]
Later, she revealed herself to be the Lady of the Lake, having taken up the persona of that Human goddess to cultivate worshippers among Men, as she had been denied the right to create a new mortal race of her own. Having selected the noble tribe of Men called the Bretonni millennia before, she had forged them into a mighty kingdom that could protect the Elven race and safeguard the Known World.[1]
Having become convinced that the mortal world was doomed in accordance with the cosmic cycle of birth and death, Order and Chaos, Lileath told Araloth of a daughter born from their love, and how the survivors of the current world would become the gods of the next. She then granted the last of her ebbing divinity to her daughter, before sending both her and Araloth forth into a new realm of her own creation.[1]
Known as the Haven, this world was inhabited by the warriors Lileath had always intended to protect it, the mighty Grail Knights. The goddess knew this was her last chance to preserve a part of the dying world of Mallus. Lileath eventually lost contact with both her daughter and her realm. At first, she feared it might have been destroyed, but it later became apparent that the Haven had been drowned out by the increasing power of Chaos, and the dawning end of all things...[1]
Trivia[]
The Lady of the Lake is based on the character of the same name from Arthurian legend. Also known as "Nimue," she plays a pivotal role in many stories, including giving Arthur the legendary sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and raising Lancelot after the death of his father.
Videos[]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer: The End Times Collection (Omnibus Novel)
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Knights of the Grail (RPG), pp. 36-37
- 3: Warhammer: Knight Errant (Novel), "Introduction" by Anthony Reynolds
- 4: Sir Dagobert's Last Battle (Short Story) by Jonathan Green
- 5: Total War: Warhammer (PC Game)
Gallery[]
-5099043_(2).jpeg "Warhammer-Fantasy-фэндомы-Lady-of-the-Lake-Library-(Wh-FB)-5099043 (2).jpeg (73 KB)")